The Classroom Job
by Undirected Passions
Summary: The team is hired once again by a former client- this time to prove that one of her students was poisoned. As the circumstances of the job bring up old memories, more than one of the team members struggle to cope. Tags for the Boiler Room Job.
1. Intro

As a grifter, Sophie prided herself on being able to not only adapt to, but take control of most any situation. But now, sitting in a little blue plastic chair in the corner of a classroom she couldn't help but feel out of her element. Maybe if Nate hadn't led her there with the words, "it's a surprise" and actually given her some time to prepare. Maybe then she wouldn't be sitting alone in a red cocktail dress and ridiculously high heels.

When former client, Sheila Emmers, had invited Nate and his crew to see her new school he hadn't told anyone. Rather he decided to send them off with no knowledge of their destination. Sophie couldn't help but to take this personally- to assume it was revenge for her conning the team. Or something like that; who knew what went on in Nate's head. Yet despite her annoyance, Sophie couldn't help but smile at him.

Nate was sitting at the other end of the room at a similar tacky fake wood table; only unlike her he wasn't alone. On the other side of the table sat a little boy- probably not much older than Sam when he passed- and between them was a deck of cards. Sophie couldn't tell if Nate was teaching him card tricks or if they were playing a game. Whatever it was seemed to be making both of them happy.

Everyone seemed to be happy. Everyone seemed to be surrounded by children. Hardison and Parker were the main attraction with what appeared to be a puppet show. Parker was animated as always and seemed quite into the story. Hardison seemed more into Parker, but was doing his best with some sort of green puppet on his hand. Eliot had taken it upon himself to make snack for the class and was just finishing cleaning up. Being the culinary perfectionist he was, he had managed to turn snack time for less than a dozen children into a whole big production.

Still, Eliot seemed to be enjoying himself. Sophie watched as he placed the last of the dishes into the classroom sink and headed over to her.

"Kid said his cookie was too sweet. How is a cookie too sweet?" Eliot complained as he took the seat next to her.

"Hello to you too Eliot," Sophie greeted, her tone amused. "Discovering that children aren't always a joy?"

Eliot shrugged. "Nah, they're alright," he admitted. "What's your excuse for not… mingling… or whatever you people call it?"

"Would you like the long answer?" Sophie asked.

"Something tells me I'm going to get it anyway."

Sophie smiled. "Nate, Parker, Hardison, and yourself all connect with children because of something in your past," she explained. "I don't have that."

Eliot seemed slightly interested. "What you mean?"

"Hardison has experience with his foster siblings. Parker looks at children and sees the childhood she never had. You see the life you could have had with Aimee-" She paused. There was another reason that Eliot connected with children. Children were innocent- something Eliot hadn't been in a long time and something Sophie knew that he wished he was.

"And Nate," she continued, "Nate just misses his son."

"Makes sense," Eliot acknowledged. He stood up suddenly, something having caught his eye. "But that doesn't." He could see Nate, who was also standing, but the boy was nowhere in sight. He saw Sheila run over and soon some of the children.

Eliot quickly followed; knowing whatever was going on wasn't good. Sophie rushed to follow him and immediately joined Nate's side.

"What's the matter?" Sophie asked, not immediately seeing anything wrong. She grabbed Nate's elbow and he spun around. The fear in his eyes startled her. "Nate, what is it?" Sophie demanded, but Nate could only stare at her numbly.

Only when she pushed him aside could she see why. There, on the floor, a foot from where they had been playing cards, the boy lay- his body seizing violently.

**|L|E|V|E|R|A|G|E|**

I just felt like writing a team fic. Not sure how many chapters this fic will have, but it will follow the team on a job. This is just the teaser/introduction which is why it's so short. I would appreciate reviews so I know whether this plot is worth pursuing.


	2. Outside Looking In

**Chapter 1: Outside Looking In**

Nate had been here before. He'd felt the cold glass on his fingertips. He'd seen a little boy lying still on a hospital bed attached to wires and tubes that made him look even smaller. Only this boy wasn't his son- this boy had a chance.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sophie asked nervously. She had been glued to his side since it had happened, keeping constant vigilance. It was hard to tell who she was more concerned for- Nate or the boy.

Nate nodded firmly, his mind already having been made up. "Someone should be with him until his parents come."

"Yes, _someone _should," Sophie agreed. "But you barely know him."

Nate turned to look at her, his face unreadable. "We help strangers every day," he argued and was off to save the day once more.

But this was more than saving the day; this was saving a child, a little boy with whom Nate had bonded. Sophie was aware of the parallels he must be drawing and how that could devastate him. She also knew, better than anyone that it was near impossible to change Nathan Ford's mind once he'd made it up. All she could do was watch.

Watch and apparently listen. Only a couple of minutes had passed after Nate left when another team member joined her.

"SOPHIE!"

The grifter turned round as Parker practically hurtled towards her. "Parker!" she exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you!" Parker had disappeared shortly after they'd reached the hospital.

Parker was bent over, obviously struggling to catch her breath. "I know. I already," she panted, "checked in with the guys." Eliot and Hardison were with Sheila, trying to get information from the doctor's per Nate's request.

Sophie was tempted to ask where she'd been and why exactly she'd run from it, but as Parker straightened up her questions were soon answered.

"You brought Bunny," Sophie observed, noting the stuffed animal Parker was clutching.

"Yeah, I thought the kid could use him," Parker said simply.

"That's a very kind thought," Sophie acknowledged. She wasn't sure how to put the next part carefully. She knew how much Parker cared for children, but she also knew how much she cherished that stuffed toy. "But are you sure… Bunny will be okay without you?"

Parker simply nodded. "Bunny's seen hospitals before."

Sophie had to restrain herself from asking questions she knew didn't have pleasant answers. Parker would elaborate if she wanted to. Sophie knew she had to let her open up on her own time.

That time wasn't now. "Is it the room right there?" Parker asked, gesturing towards the same door Nate had left through.

"Yes," Sophie sighed. And as Parker joined Nate she could only sit and worry behind the glass.

**|L|E|V|E|R|A|G|E|**

The team had been moved into the waiting room once the boy's parents had arrived. They were the only visitors allowed in besides Sheila. So the team was left waiting and hoping with little information.

The five of them were there for a couple of hours before they got any news. Sheila was the one who'd shared it, having just being briefed by the doctors herself. She stood before them, worried but with no evidence that she'd been crying on her face.

"Kyle has heavy metal poisoning," the teacher announced solemnly. "The doctors found high levels of mercury in his blood work. It's what caused the seizure," she paused to take a deep breath and everyone held theirs. "They've started chelation therapy and he should be fine."

Nate smiled in relief. Sophie hugged him. Eliot grinned.

"Oh thank god," was Parker's response and Hardison squeezed her hand.

Sheila was the only one who didn't seem overjoyed. Nate noticed this, and it alarmed it.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "He's going to be alright, isn't he?"

Sheila nodded. "He should be. It's just…" she hesitated "I don't think this was an accident."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked before anyone else could.

"I think Kyle was poisoned," Sheila admitted.

Eliot stepped forward, his arms crossed defensively. "Poisoned?" he demanded. "Listen lady, I didn't put any mercury in those cookies."

"I didn't mean-" she quickly amended, "I didn't think-"

"Who do you think poisoned him?" Nate interrupted.

Sheila shook her head. "I don't know."

"Okay then, who did you think did it?" Hardison spoke up.

Sheila sighed, "I don't know."

Sophie tried to help out, seeing the conversation going nowhere. "Well, did you share your concerns with the doctors?" she asked.

"I tried," Sheila said, obviously exasperated, "But they thought it was ridiculous. Kyle has Down syndrome and a functioning IQ of just over 50. They're convinced he just stuck something in his mouth."

"But you're not," Nate clarified.

Sheila shook her head again. "He has a thing about germs. I've worked with him for three years and I've never seen him eat anything he wasn't supposed to."

"But who would want to do that?" Parker demanded angrily, "Who would hurt a little kid like that?"

Sheila took a deep breath and sunk into the seat across from Nate. "All I know is what Kyle's told me. I thought they were stories," she explained, her voice heavy with regret.

Sophie rubbed a hand comfortingly over Sheila's shoulders as the team waited for her to continue.

"For the past week Kyle's been telling me about robbers he saw out the window. I asked him what they were stealing, but he didn't say. He just kept calling them robbers. I thought they were just imaginary friends, but he almost seemed frightened. And then-" her voice broke, "then this happens."

**|L|E|V|E|R|A|G|E|**

Sorry for the abrupt ending, more will be explained later, I promise. Also, sorry for the lack of Eliot and Hardison in this chapter- I also promise more of them soon to come. I think I may have shot myself in the foot with the whole starting to name chapters. Challenge should be fun though. Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed and I hope you're enjoying the story. :)

-UP


	3. Let's Go Steal a Story

**Chapter 2: Let's Go Steal a Story**

Hardison took his briefings seriously. He enjoyed giving them and tried hard to make them enjoyable for the team as well. Done correctly, they were works of art. If that metaphor applied, then the briefing he was about to give was equivalent to Mari Newman's _Juggling Dog in Hula Skirt_.

"Whatcha got, Hardison?" The dreaded question came sooner than he'd anticipated.

Hardison frowned. "Not much," he admitted, not wanted to get Nate's hopes up, "I'm not even sure if we have a job here."

"What do you mean? We need to take down the guy who hurt the kid," Parker stated matter-of-factly.

"That's the thing. I have no idea who, if anyone, poisoned Kyle Boer. I've got no motive, no opportunity, no nothing." Hardison pulled up page after page on the screen, revealing all of his failed research.

"Well what did you find?" Sophie asked, aware of the hacker's frustration.

"I did get some info on the school," Hardison acknowledged. "Apparently, the location we were at just opened last week. Property's huge, but it sold for dirt cheap."

"Bad location?" Nate suggested.

Hardison nodded. "Bad neighborhood," he clarified. "The crime rate's no higher than any of the surrounding towns, but there've been reports of all kinds of shady business going down there for the past decade."

"So Kyle's stories of robbers outside his window might not be so far off after all," Eliot supposed.

"Not at all," Hardison agreed, "they just aren't much to go on."

Nate clapped his hands decisively, getting the team's attention. "Okay, what we need is more information. Sophie and Parker, you go back to the hospital. Sophie, you'll talk to the parents. Parker will deal with the kid," he instructed, "Eliot and Hardison, go back to the school and look for anything suspicious."

The reactions were mixed; from Parker's grin, Eliot's nod, Hardison's shrug, and Sophie's look of worry. "What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be meeting with Miss Emmers," Nate revealed. He got up, not wanted to be talked at by Sophie again. "Now folks, let's go steal ourselves a story."

Sophie groaned. Parker made an "eh" sound.

"I thought it was clever," Eliot admitted.

"Suck up," Sophie accused.

**|L|E|V|E|R|A|G|E|**

It was approaching five o'clock by the time Hardison and Eliot made their way back to the school. The children were all dismissed, which meant the assistant teacher was the only one they had to deal with. Hardison stepped out of the car with a smile, all ready to charm his way in.

However, when they did actually make it to the front doors and approached their obstacle it was Eliot that spoke first.

"Hi," he greeted the young woman pleasantly, "me and my friend here are with the government. We're here to check for any environmental toxins."

The assistant nodded. "Sheila told me you'd be coming. You can go ahead in… Actually…" She held her finger up, signifying them to wait, and begun digging around in her oversized purse. "I should be going. "Do you think you could lock up after you're done?" She held out a set of keys.

"Of course ma'am," agreed with a smile.

"Great!" The assistant teacher left quickly, proving not much of an obstacle at all.

Hardison grumbled at Eliot as they made their way through the double doors, "I had that, man!"

"Had what?" Eliot asked, annoyed at Hardison for being annoyed him.

"The social hacking. I was totally ready!"

"What social hacking?" Eliot snorted. "I said hello and she threw her keys at me."

"It's the principle," Hardison argued.

Eliot just growled, the adage "if you argue with an idiot" running through his head.

"At least you called me your friend," Hardison mumbled.

Nate's voice buzzed through the com, "If you two are finished, I have something for you to check out."

"We're good," Eliot said, though he sent Hardison a mean look.

"According to Emmers, Kyle doesn't eat the same snack as the rest of the kids," Nate continued. "He's on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet."

"Does she know what he ate today?" Hardison asked, looking around the messy classroom which the assistant teacher obviously hadn't bothered with.

"Same thing he eats every day," Nate replied, "a chocolate chip Dr. Grear's brand granola bar."

Hardison touched his nose suddenly.

Eliot gave him a strange look. "What is that?"

"Not it," Hardison answered, "I have a feeling this is going to involve us digging in the trash and I'm sure as hell not going to be the one to do it."

"I did it last time," Eliot growled.

"Peanut allergy," Hardison countered, unaffected by Eliot's angry glare.

Eliot scowled. "Man, I saw you eat peanut butter yesterday," he accused.

"That was almond butter."

"Peanut butter for prisses," Eliot grumbled.

Hardison held his tongue because Eliot was, after all, making his way to the trashcan.

"What color is the wrapper?" Eliot asked, rummaging through the top layer of trash.

The com was silent for a second as Nate checked with Sheila. "Yellow," he answered.

Eliot cringed as his hand touched something gooey. He suppressed the urge to flick it at Hardison, determined to stay focused on the job. The hitter felt around until he came across something smooth and metallic. He pulled it out triumphantly. "Got it?"

"What does it look like?" Nate questioned.

"It looks like a wrapper. It's not like its labeled poison or anything." Eliot sniffed the flimsy piece of plastic. "Smells like chocolate."

"Let me see it," Hardison requested.

Eliot passed it over.

Hardison stared at it intensely for a minute before frowning. "The font in the label doesn't match the font in the nutritional facts," he said finally.

"So what?" Eliot demanded.

Hardison shrugged. "It's just weird."

"Send a picture," Nate requested.

Hardison took out his phone which was, of course, on hand and snapped a picture. "Done."

Nate switched off his com to chat with the teacher before promptly turning it back on. "Nice work," he congratulated. "We've got ourselves a clue."

**|L|E|V|E|R|A|G|E|**

Thanks to wolfofsheep for reviewing. :) Next up: Parker and the kid. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Hint: reviews encourage me to write faster. ;)

-UP


	4. Child's Play

**Chapter 3: Child's Play**

Parker walked through the hospital in long, easy strides, her arms swinging back and forth as she moved. Her palms clapped together as they met in front of her, resulting in a steady popping sound. Parker had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she wasn't aware of the path she was taking, much less the movements she making.

It took Sophie to point it out. "Parker!" she snapped.

"Hmm?" Parker looked up at her inquisitively.

"You're clapping," Sophie pointed out, trying to lessen the irritation in her voice. It was, after all, not Parker who she ticked at. It was Nate and all his pointless secrets.

"Oh, sorry," Parker apologized absentmindedly. She looked down at her hands and frowned, her face thoughtful.

It didn't take a mind reader to deduce the thief's thoughts. "Are you nervous?" Sophie asked, though she knew the answer. It was quite evident from Parker's body language that she was on edge.

Parker shrugged. "A little," she admitted.

"You're great with children- you'll be fine," Sophie reassured, offering a soft smile.

"I know," Parker replied with no hint of hubris. "It's just a big part of the job, you know? We have so little to go on as it is."

"It is an important task," Sophie affirmed, "and there's no one better to do it that you." She stopped at a sign on the wall, pausing to confirm that they were heading in the correct direction.

"You think?" Parker asked.

"I know."

The two women turned right before stopping at the second room in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.)

Sophie was grateful the room wasn't further into the wing. As awful as it sounded, she really didn't want to see more sick children.

"I guess Nate knows what he's doing when he assigns our jobs," Parker reasoned, momentarily turning her back to the door. "Thanks Soph."

Sophie just smiled as Parker stepped into the room.

**|L|E|V|E|R|A|G|E|**

Kyle was watching television when Parker arrived. He was so intently focused on Phineas and Ferb that it took him almost a full minute to even notice that she was there.

"Hi," Parker greeted, smiling brightly.

The boy seemed alarmed by her presence as he shrunk down and attempted to hide under the covers. Bunny's ears were all that could be seen poking out the top of the blankets.

"I'm just here to visit, not to take Bunny back," she promised, figuring this was the cause of his anxiety.

A small voice came from underneath the sheets, "I broke the bunny."

The revelation made Parker nervous, but she kept her voice steady. "Well maybe I can fix him," she offered.

Kyle sat up slowly. He held the stuffed toy out towards her, but turned away from Parker as if he was afraid to look her in the eyes. A single bright orange jell-o stain marred Bunny's face.

Parker chuckled. "You didn't break him," she assured, "Bunny loves jell-o."

Kyle squinted his blue eyes skeptically. "Really?"

"Of course!" Parker replied. "Who doesn't love jell-o?"

"Bunny eat carrots," Kyle argued, crossing his arms defiantly.

"What kind of jell-o do you think that was?" Parker joked.

"That carrot jell-o?" Kyle giggled, making the connection.

Parker had made her way to the chair by his bedside by then, having moved progressively closer as he got more comfortable.

"You uh silly," Kyle pointed out. He winced as he pulled himself up, his IV putting pressure on his hand.

"Boo boo," he said simply, as if Parker needed an explanation for the face he made.

Parker frowned sympathetically. "I know it's not much fun being here," she commiserated, his small form in the reclining bed reminding her of all the times she'd landed in the hospital as a child. Parker saw most of those instances as her fault, though.

"An I hadda leave school early," Kyle pouted.

"You like school, huh?"

Kyle nodded fervently. "It's fun an' I get tuh see my friends," he explained, the mere mention of school having perked him up.

"That's so cool!" Parker exclaimed, her voice overly enthusiastic. "I spent most of my time at school looking out the window." The statement was meant to get Kyle talking about the so called robbers he'd seen, but it was also true. Grade school had never interested Parker, which is why she hadn't cared about missing high school.

"I do that too!" Kyle said eagerly. He gave Parker a big smile, which she couldn't help but return.

"I saw a lot of neat things," Parker continued.

The boy grinned even wider. "Me too!"

"I saw some scary stuff too," Parker mentioned, switching gears. "Did you ever see anything scary?" she asked when he didn't respond.

"Yeah." Kyle hugged Bunny close. "Sometimes there scary stuff," he replied in a small voice.

Parker swallowed, feeling guilty for pushing him, for making him relive a bad memory. It was necessary, she knew but she still didn't feel good about it.

"Robbers in funny costume," Kyle said quietly.

"What kind of costume?"

"Robber costume," Kyle answered, as though it was obvious.

Parker nodded, knowing she wasn't going to get more than that. "And what do the robbers do?" she asked.

"They just carry boxes." Kyle pressed Bunny's nose to his, feeling more comfortable telling his story to the stuffed animal. "One time he saw me an' he make a face like GRR," Kyle scrunched his face up for effect, "an' den run away."

"That sounds scary," Parker empathized. "Maybe if you told me what he looked like-" Parker paused, thinking up a way to make the ordeal seem less frightening, "I could draw a picture of him being silly."

Kyle stayed silent, not seeming too keen on the idea.

"I'll tell you what. I'll tell you a story if you can help me draw the picture," Parker offered.

"What kind of story?" Kyle asked, his interested piqued.

Parker smiled. "A story about the time I met a singing crocodile."

Kyle beamed back, his fear momentarily forgotten. "Okay!"

**|L|E|V|E|RA|G|E|**

The average IQ of a child with Down syndrome is 50; half that of an average child. I just kind of did my best guess here and gave Kyle (who I imagine to be around 9) the intelligence of about a 4 or 5 year old. I've worked with autistic and ED kids, but not ones with Down syndrome, so I apologize for any misrepresentation here.

Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed! I greatly appreciate it. I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it (it was a fun one)!

Until next time (which should be in a day or two),

UP


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